Category Archive

On January 25, 1972, Shirley Chisolm announced that she would seek the Democratic Party nomination for president, thus becoming the first African American woman to run for president for a major political party. Though she was also the first African-American woman elected to Congress in 1968, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and a founding member of the …

Senator Cory Booker, Representative John Lewis and other Black leaders testified against the confirmation of Senator Jeff Sessions as the next U.S. Attorney General. In an emotional testimony, leaders called attention to Sessions’ inability to work for “all of us, and not just some of us.” Along with the testimony of about a dozen members of the Congressional Black Caucus …

In one of his final acts as President of the United States, President Obama designated three new national monuments honoring our history. The three monuments represent pivotal locations and events during the civil rights movement and reconstruction, including the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument in Alabama and the Reconstruction Era National Monument in Beaufort, South Carolina. President Obama stated this was …

Headlines across the web have lamented against Jeff Session’s confirmation as U.S. Attorney General. Calls against his blatant prejudice and inequitable record have been voiced through sit-ins and protests across the country. Despite a lengthy history of racial and bigoted actions as discussed here, a 1985 case against three African-American civil rights activists stands out as one of his most foul acts against voting rights. …

Sen. Cory Booker made history when testifying against Sen.Jeff Sessions during his attorney general confirmation. In his unprecedented act, Booker became the “first sitting senator to testify against a fellow sitting senator at a confirmation hearing for a Cabinet position.” Booker has been an outspoken fixture against Sessions due to Session’s support of policies that gut the Voting Rights Act, …

In case you somehow missed First Lady Obama’s final White House Address this past week, watch the full video here. Essence also compiled a list of memorable quotes to keep you inspired for years to come. Here’s one of our favorites: “Our glorious diversities of faiths and colors and creeds, that is not a threat to who we are, it …

As we gear up for the official transition of administration in the coming days, we wanted to keep our community abreast of the potential changes to criminal justice policy that Trump’s administration may bring. Though critiqued for not yet doing enough, Obama has pardoned or commuted the sentences of over 1,300 people in response to egregious charges and sentences prevalent throughout …

While the need for Black political power could not come at a more opportune time, we wanted to share some positivity as young millennials continue to break ground in the realm of public service. Just last month and at the age of 21, Jewell Jones became the youngest member of the Michigan state legislature as a representative for District 11. In …

Black Lives Matter activists once praised Walmart’s 2015 decision to remove Confederate flags from its online retail market. However, after Breitbart complained that Walmart sold “Bulletproof. Black Lives Matter” paraphernalia and the national Fraternal Order of Police wrote the retailer to ask for its removal, the multinational corporation decided to drop that merchandise, too. While the merchandise was sold through a third-party merchant …

While mass incarceration remains a serious problem for Black and Brown folks in this country, we’re proud of President Barack Obama for continuing to implement criminal justice reform during his final hours in office. According to the Marshall Project, the prison-debt cycle has been interrupted: “The Obama administration Tuesday unveiled a new regulation that allows incarcerated parents to reduce their …